Past Mistakes, New Beginnings
by Midnite Solistace
Summary: Uncharted 2 - My take on the ending and certain characters relationships, fleshed things out a bit, big spoilers if you haven't finished yet. Can't really summarize well without spoiling. Enjoy.


Yay, Uncharted 2 lived up to my every expectation and is awesome - huge spoilers if you haven't finished yet. This is my take on things, decided to flesh out the ending a bit. Obviously I've used snippets of dialogue here, all of which and including Nate, Sully, Elena and Chloe all belong to the great people at Naughty Dog :D

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* * *

Past Mistakes, New Beginnings**

"Goddamn it Chloe, there better be a good explanation for dragging me halfway up this blasted mountain." Victor Sullivan complained, stepping out of the truck that had driven him up to the small Tibetan Village in Nepal. Chloe rushed forward to meet him.

"Thank you for coming, Nate needs a friend right now…"

Sully raised his eyebrow at Chloe, clearly wondering what was wrong with herself providing this comfort.

"…It's Elena."

Sullivan found Nathan Drake sitting outside a small hut, staring out across numerous valleys. He sat down beside him. "Nate?"

Drake turned his head slightly to look at his friend. "Sully? What are you doing here?" There was little, if no emotion in his voice.

"Chloe called me; said you could use a friend. What's happened?"

Nate turned his head back, continuing to stare out to the horizon. "Elena's hurt. I think…" he swallowed before chocking out the next words. The sun shone on his face and Sully could see his tear streaked features throughout all of the dirt.

"I don't think she's going to make it."

Sullivan's face dawned with realization, and he put a comforting arm around Nate's shoulder. Trying to cheer him up Sully said, "I got your wire, what'd it say? "Trapped in some village up a mountain, stumbled into Elena Fisher of all people, Chloe acting like jealous girlfriend, backstabbed and left for dead too many times to count, stuck in relationship hell S.O.S" It got a chuckle out of me kid."

Nate tried to smile. "Yeah, it seemed pretty funny at the time. Trouble is now; I've worked out who my feelings lie with, now it might be too late." He let out a deep sigh. "Why did I let her go Sully, after El Dorado, why did I walk away?"

"Because kid, it's what you do. You learn the hard way."

Things had gone well for Drake, Sully, and Elena after they'd returned from the Amazon. The gold stashed on their getaway ship split three ways meant Sully could pay his debts. Elena bought a new video camera and paid off the insurance on the boat she'd hired so she could keep her job. And Nate, well he stashed his for a rainy day. He also gave Elena the story he'd promised her, an exclusive interview for her archeology show which also earned her a promotion. Their feelings for each other had deepened considerably and a couple of months on, they were still seeing each other. Nate hadn't realized how crazy he was about Elena until they'd called it quits.

* * *

Flashback

Nate walked into the living room of his water-front apartment in Florida. Elena was busy typing on her laptop at the desk. She hadn't moved in yet but she spent as much time there as she could. He stood behind her and leant down, kissing her cheek.

"Somebody's in a good mood." Elena observed, swiveling around in her chair to face him.

"I've got it!" He told her excitedly.

"Got what?"

"The map, the co-ordinates, I cracked the code."

Elena gave him a look telling him he wasn't making any sense.

"For the next hunt Elena, I'm finally ready, I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Hang on, what? Leaving for how long, not the expedition to Mexico? The job that's going to take a few months?"

"I was hoping you were going to come with me." Nate said.

Elena sighed. "Nate, I can't. Ever since my promotion my workload has doubled, I can't prove myself as a serious journalist if I'm gallivanting around with you."

"Gallivanting? Elena, which story got you that promotion?"

She stood up, hands on her hips. "Oh so now I owe Nathan Drake, the great treasure hunter for my promotion?

"No, I didn't mean…" Nate sighed in frustration. "I knew this would happen, this is why I don't do relationships."

"Really?" Elena asked.

"Sully warned me about this; the minute I wanted to set off again you'd try to tie me down."

"Let me get this straight, you're taking relationship advice from Sully?" She raised her eyebrow. "Victor Sullivan, the serial womanizer?"

"What can I say? We've been dating three months Elena; this is the longest I've spent in one place since before I can remember."

"I guess that says it all then. Your relics and trinkets are more important to you than I am?" Elena's voice was wavering.

Nate turned his back on her. "I'm going out, I'll be back later."

"That's right Nate, walk out. Go to Mexico if you want, but don't expect me to be here when you get back."

Nate pulled the door shut behind him, and when he returned an hour later after cooling off, all of the things that Elena kept at his apartment were gone, and so was she. He'd tried calling her, emailing her, calling her office everything, but she was as stubborn as he was, and when he left for Mexico a few days later any hope of reconciling with Elena went with him.

* * *

That's why Chloe had been so great. She understood what it was like with his work. But He didn't love Chloe, he thought maybe he had, but seeing Elena get caught in Flynn's grenade had opened his eyes.

"This is just an observation Nate, but shouldn't you be in there sitting with her?" Sullivan asked him.

Nate shook his head. "I can't do it. I can't face her Sully; she's in there fighting for life because of me."

Chloe came up behind them. "It's not your fault Nate, from how much I've gathered about Elena, she was going to follow Lazarević wether you dragged her along or not."

Nate and Sully both turned to look at her. "But I've got good news; she's going to make it, with lots of bed rest." Chloe gave him a reassuring smile. Nate breathed a large sigh of relief.

Nate entered Elena's hut and sat down at her bedside. He took her hand gently. She opened her eyes at the touch, clearly still very weak.

"Welcome back." He smiled at her.

"Nate? Hi." She managed with a lot of effort.

"Don't ever scare me like that again."

"Again? You mean…I'm going to see you…once this is all over? I don't think Chloe…would be very happy with that." She said slowly.

"Chloe and I have some things to talk about, but for now I'll let you rest." Nate went to stand up but Elena squeezed his hand. "Nate…stay with me till I fall asleep?"

"You got it." He gently kissed her forehead and sat back down.

* * *

A couple of days rest had done wonders for Elena's health. With a little help from Sully she made it outside.

After paying their respects to Karl Schafer, Nate helped Elena over to the ridge overlooking the mountain ranges. She leant her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"So where do we go from here huh?"

He turned to face her front on. "I don't know…" Nate wrapped his arms around her kissing her for a moment. He chuckled. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Of course not." She grinned, almost laughing for a moment. "But then again, neither have I."

"Good." He replied leading her further toward the ridge. They were not going to repeat their past mistakes, not this time.

"So on a scale of one to ten; how scared were you that I was gonna die?" Elena playfully asked.

"Four."

"Four?!" She stepped away from him a pace.

"Yeah why?"

"A four?"

"Yeah." He repeated, trying to sound serious.

"You were at least an eight." She told him.

"An eight?"

"You were a total eight." She bargained.

"An eight? Those guardian things were an eight."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah, those things were terrifying."

Then what's a ten?

"Clowns." He said seriously.

"Clowns, over my death?" She asked in disbelief.

"I, I hate clowns." Nate stammered.

"Clowns?

"I hate clowns." He repeated.

Elena moved back in closer to his side. "Oh my word, you thought I was dead."

"No…." Nate put his arm comfortingly around her shoulder.

"No you thought I was gone."

"No."

"Yes you did." She playfully argued.

"No I had you all along."

"I saw you shed tears. You shed a bunch of 'em."

"Tears?"

"Um-hmm."

"It was raining." He protested.

"No it was not."

"You were unconscious and it was raining." He'd use any excuse to keep his ego in tact.

"It was totally sunny out and you were bawling."

"It wasn't sunny and you were unconscious."

"Whatever, I kept your tars in a jar, I have proof."

"I'll give you a five, how's that?"


End file.
